Conservation lands as compatible use buffers

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Conservation Lands as
Compatible Use Buffers
Background
When the United States established
military installations many years ago,
they often were built away from
population centers. As the Nation’s
population has grown during the past
few decades, residential areas and strip
malls now abut many military
installations. Noise, dust, or smoke
levels from guns, vehicles, or aircraft
prompt citizens to call local authorities
to have military activities stopped and
military commanders frequently must
choose between being good neighbors
and meeting training and testing
requirements. Noise concerns, the
presence of cultural and historic
resources, and the distribution of
invasive or endangered species can
result in training restrictions affecting
military readiness. The adverse effects
of these incompatible land uses has
prompted the Department of Defense
(DoD) to find solutions.
To strike a balance between military
operations and good relations with
neighbors, DoD and various partners
are establishing conservation land
buffers between installations and
communities. The military services, in
partnership with land trust
organizations, Federal and State
agencies, Tribes, non-government
organizations, and the private sector,
are reaching out to solicit interest and
identify mutual objectives in preserving
habitat corridors and preventing the
development of critical open areas.
Everyone benefits when noise, smoke,
or visual impacts resulting from
military operations are minimized. In-turn,
the military can conduct training
and operations with little compromise
and local communities jointly assume
habitat, biodiversity, and wildlife
management responsibilities.
The Army took the lead in acquiring
easements on lands with suitable habitat
for endangered species, notably the red-cockaded
woodpecker, to gain
mitigation credit from the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (FWS) for training
activities on Fort Bragg, North
Carolina. The Marine Corps saw the
value in acquiring easements to prevent
incompatible land use and took similar
action on land proximate to Marine
Corps Base Camp Lejeune, also in
North Carolina. The Army and Marine
Corps “land buffer initiatives” resulted
in a win-win for both conservation and
military interests. To streamline the
process for all the DoD services, the
Department of Defense drafted
proposed legislation to provide direct
authority to transfer funds for
conservation buffers.
Congressional Authority
The U.S. Congress authorized the
authority to enter into conservation land
use partnerships in November 2003
through the National Defense
Authorization Act. Section 2811 states
that the Secretary of Defense or a
Military Department may enter into an
agreement with a State or private entity
to limit development or property use
that is incompatible with the mission, to
preserve habitat, or to relieve
anticipated environmental restrictions
that would restrict, impede, or interfere
with military training, testing, or
operations on the
installation.
The process to
establish a
conservation
easement on
buffer lands
varies with each
military service,
partnership, and
local real estate
condition.
Typically, a land
conservation trust
organization
purchases lands
from the owner
with funds
contributed by the military and the
participating partners. In exchange, the
military service receives a restrictive
easement or other assurances that the
property will be perpetually protected.
Proposed development or land use
changes need DoD service approval to
ensure compatibility with the mission.
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
At Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune,
2,500 acres were planned for high-density
residential housing and a golf
course, directly between a rifle training
range and a major tank and artillery
range. Realizing incompatible land use
could encroach on the military mission,
the Marine Corps established a
Conservation Forum. The North
Carolina (NC) Chapter of The Nature
Conservancy (TNC) took the lead to
identify potential partners and hosted
the first meeting. Participants included
representatives from the NC Wildlife
Resources Commission, NC
Department of Environment and
Natural Resources, Marine Corps Base
Camp Lejeune, FWS, Marine Corps Air
Station Cherry Point, USDA Forest
Service, the Endangered Species
Coalition, NC Coastal Federation, NC
Coastal Land Trust, NC Department of
Transportation, and the USDA Natural
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina buffer initiative.
Resources Conservation Service. The
members signed a memorandum of
understanding and, about one year later,
TNC purchased the 2,500 acres with the
assistance of the Marine Corps and sold
it to the NC Wildlife Resources
Commission (WRC). WRC is
preparing a recreational use plan to
open the area for public hunting and
preserve the forest habitat. As a result,
the Marines avoided encroachment of
their military training and operation
missions.
Fort Carson Regional Partnership
The Army is working to protect 14
linear miles of short-grass prairie along
Fort Carson, Colorado’s southern
boundary, in partnership with TNC and
FWS. Less than 50 percent of
Colorado’s short-grass prairie remains
and urban sprawl threatens much of it.
As habitat is lost to development,
wildlife such as the Mexican spotted
owl, mountain plover, greenback cut-throat
trout, and black-tailed prairie dog
seek refuge in the short-grass prairie
and the Piñon pine ecosystems found on
Fort Carson. Through the Fort Carson
Regional Partnership, TNC is seeking to
purchase conservation easements from
willing sellers around the installation.
In addition, TNC leased a ranch for 3
years along 14 linear miles of the base.
Before the terms of lease expire, and if
funds become available, the partnership
will purchase a conservation easement
on the ranch. All parties should benefit;
the ranch owner can maintain a way of
life that might otherwise be lost to
development pressures while preserving
some of Colorado’s unique habitat and
buffering Fort Carson from
incompatible land uses.
The Florida Greenway Initiative
The Air Force participated in the
preservation of environmentally
sensitive areas and minimized
encroachment on military testing and
training for five installations through
the creation of the Northwest Florida
Greenway Initiative. The Greenway
partners include DoD, Florida
Department of Environmental
Protection, Okaloosa Economic
Development Council, Air Force Air
Armament Center, and TNC.
The Greenway Initiative establishes a
100-mile protected corridor extending
from the Apalachicola National Forest
to Eglin Air Force Base. The three
Greenway Initiative goals are: 1)
Promote the sustainability of the
military mission in northwest Florida to
meet the national defense testing,
operational, and training requirements
as outlined in the Joint Gulf Range
Strategic Plan, 2) Strengthen the
regional economy by sustaining the
capabilities of the military in the region
and enhancing recreational tourism and,
3) Protect lands that will sustain the
high biodiversity in the region, link
protected natural areas, preserve water
resources, and provide areas for outdoor
recreation. The intent is to preserve
military installations by creating buffer
zones that insulate military aircraft
flight paths from encroachment caused
by development.
Future Opportunities
The Office of the Secretary of Defense
secured $12.5 million in fiscal year
2005 to support land partnership
initiatives. Lands adjacent to DoD
installations slated for development that
may be incompatible with the military
land use requirements are the top
priority. The Office of Secretary of
Defense is working with the Marine
Corps, Army, Air Force, and Navy to
pursue effective land use planning with
Federal, State, Tribal, private, and non-government
stakeholders to preserve
both military training areas and
biodiversity around military
installations.
These partnerships encourage and
enable the ownership of private
developable lands in the vicinity of
military bases to be retained as
conservation lands and sold to land
trusts such as TNC and/or an
appropriate state conservation agency.
Conservation organizations are
becoming the military’s best possible
neighbors by collaborating to protect
lands adjacent to military installations.
Program Contacts:
Outreach Coordinator, Office of the
Deputy Under Secretary of Defense
(Installations and Environment),
703-604-1890
Chief, Division of Partnerships and
Outreach, Endangered Species
Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, 703-358-2390
http://endangered.fws.gov
December 2004
Fort Carson Land
Conservation Initiative

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Conservation Lands as
Compatible Use Buffers
Background
When the United States established
military installations many years ago,
they often were built away from
population centers. As the Nation’s
population has grown during the past
few decades, residential areas and strip
malls now abut many military
installations. Noise, dust, or smoke
levels from guns, vehicles, or aircraft
prompt citizens to call local authorities
to have military activities stopped and
military commanders frequently must
choose between being good neighbors
and meeting training and testing
requirements. Noise concerns, the
presence of cultural and historic
resources, and the distribution of
invasive or endangered species can
result in training restrictions affecting
military readiness. The adverse effects
of these incompatible land uses has
prompted the Department of Defense
(DoD) to find solutions.
To strike a balance between military
operations and good relations with
neighbors, DoD and various partners
are establishing conservation land
buffers between installations and
communities. The military services, in
partnership with land trust
organizations, Federal and State
agencies, Tribes, non-government
organizations, and the private sector,
are reaching out to solicit interest and
identify mutual objectives in preserving
habitat corridors and preventing the
development of critical open areas.
Everyone benefits when noise, smoke,
or visual impacts resulting from
military operations are minimized. In-turn,
the military can conduct training
and operations with little compromise
and local communities jointly assume
habitat, biodiversity, and wildlife
management responsibilities.
The Army took the lead in acquiring
easements on lands with suitable habitat
for endangered species, notably the red-cockaded
woodpecker, to gain
mitigation credit from the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (FWS) for training
activities on Fort Bragg, North
Carolina. The Marine Corps saw the
value in acquiring easements to prevent
incompatible land use and took similar
action on land proximate to Marine
Corps Base Camp Lejeune, also in
North Carolina. The Army and Marine
Corps “land buffer initiatives” resulted
in a win-win for both conservation and
military interests. To streamline the
process for all the DoD services, the
Department of Defense drafted
proposed legislation to provide direct
authority to transfer funds for
conservation buffers.
Congressional Authority
The U.S. Congress authorized the
authority to enter into conservation land
use partnerships in November 2003
through the National Defense
Authorization Act. Section 2811 states
that the Secretary of Defense or a
Military Department may enter into an
agreement with a State or private entity
to limit development or property use
that is incompatible with the mission, to
preserve habitat, or to relieve
anticipated environmental restrictions
that would restrict, impede, or interfere
with military training, testing, or
operations on the
installation.
The process to
establish a
conservation
easement on
buffer lands
varies with each
military service,
partnership, and
local real estate
condition.
Typically, a land
conservation trust
organization
purchases lands
from the owner
with funds
contributed by the military and the
participating partners. In exchange, the
military service receives a restrictive
easement or other assurances that the
property will be perpetually protected.
Proposed development or land use
changes need DoD service approval to
ensure compatibility with the mission.
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
At Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune,
2,500 acres were planned for high-density
residential housing and a golf
course, directly between a rifle training
range and a major tank and artillery
range. Realizing incompatible land use
could encroach on the military mission,
the Marine Corps established a
Conservation Forum. The North
Carolina (NC) Chapter of The Nature
Conservancy (TNC) took the lead to
identify potential partners and hosted
the first meeting. Participants included
representatives from the NC Wildlife
Resources Commission, NC
Department of Environment and
Natural Resources, Marine Corps Base
Camp Lejeune, FWS, Marine Corps Air
Station Cherry Point, USDA Forest
Service, the Endangered Species
Coalition, NC Coastal Federation, NC
Coastal Land Trust, NC Department of
Transportation, and the USDA Natural
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina buffer initiative.
Resources Conservation Service. The
members signed a memorandum of
understanding and, about one year later,
TNC purchased the 2,500 acres with the
assistance of the Marine Corps and sold
it to the NC Wildlife Resources
Commission (WRC). WRC is
preparing a recreational use plan to
open the area for public hunting and
preserve the forest habitat. As a result,
the Marines avoided encroachment of
their military training and operation
missions.
Fort Carson Regional Partnership
The Army is working to protect 14
linear miles of short-grass prairie along
Fort Carson, Colorado’s southern
boundary, in partnership with TNC and
FWS. Less than 50 percent of
Colorado’s short-grass prairie remains
and urban sprawl threatens much of it.
As habitat is lost to development,
wildlife such as the Mexican spotted
owl, mountain plover, greenback cut-throat
trout, and black-tailed prairie dog
seek refuge in the short-grass prairie
and the Piñon pine ecosystems found on
Fort Carson. Through the Fort Carson
Regional Partnership, TNC is seeking to
purchase conservation easements from
willing sellers around the installation.
In addition, TNC leased a ranch for 3
years along 14 linear miles of the base.
Before the terms of lease expire, and if
funds become available, the partnership
will purchase a conservation easement
on the ranch. All parties should benefit;
the ranch owner can maintain a way of
life that might otherwise be lost to
development pressures while preserving
some of Colorado’s unique habitat and
buffering Fort Carson from
incompatible land uses.
The Florida Greenway Initiative
The Air Force participated in the
preservation of environmentally
sensitive areas and minimized
encroachment on military testing and
training for five installations through
the creation of the Northwest Florida
Greenway Initiative. The Greenway
partners include DoD, Florida
Department of Environmental
Protection, Okaloosa Economic
Development Council, Air Force Air
Armament Center, and TNC.
The Greenway Initiative establishes a
100-mile protected corridor extending
from the Apalachicola National Forest
to Eglin Air Force Base. The three
Greenway Initiative goals are: 1)
Promote the sustainability of the
military mission in northwest Florida to
meet the national defense testing,
operational, and training requirements
as outlined in the Joint Gulf Range
Strategic Plan, 2) Strengthen the
regional economy by sustaining the
capabilities of the military in the region
and enhancing recreational tourism and,
3) Protect lands that will sustain the
high biodiversity in the region, link
protected natural areas, preserve water
resources, and provide areas for outdoor
recreation. The intent is to preserve
military installations by creating buffer
zones that insulate military aircraft
flight paths from encroachment caused
by development.
Future Opportunities
The Office of the Secretary of Defense
secured $12.5 million in fiscal year
2005 to support land partnership
initiatives. Lands adjacent to DoD
installations slated for development that
may be incompatible with the military
land use requirements are the top
priority. The Office of Secretary of
Defense is working with the Marine
Corps, Army, Air Force, and Navy to
pursue effective land use planning with
Federal, State, Tribal, private, and non-government
stakeholders to preserve
both military training areas and
biodiversity around military
installations.
These partnerships encourage and
enable the ownership of private
developable lands in the vicinity of
military bases to be retained as
conservation lands and sold to land
trusts such as TNC and/or an
appropriate state conservation agency.
Conservation organizations are
becoming the military’s best possible
neighbors by collaborating to protect
lands adjacent to military installations.
Program Contacts:
Outreach Coordinator, Office of the
Deputy Under Secretary of Defense
(Installations and Environment),
703-604-1890
Chief, Division of Partnerships and
Outreach, Endangered Species
Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, 703-358-2390
http://endangered.fws.gov
December 2004
Fort Carson Land
Conservation Initiative